Water-circulating tube



J. L. NICHOLSON.

WATER CIRCULATING TUBE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1s.'191s.

1,356,307. I Patented Oct. 19, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. 'L. NICHOEON. WATER CIRCULATING TUBE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I6, 1918. 1,356,307. Patented Oct. 19, 1920,

3 SHEEiS-SHEET 2.

J. L; NICHOLSONJ WATER CIRCULATING TUBE. APPLICATIONTILED FEB. Is, 1918.

IT in "/UNITED; STA TE-S- OFQFIICE.

JOHN L. NICHOLSON, OrcHrcAGo, ILLINofs, AssIe on, BY nEsNE AssIGNMENTs,'ro

LOCOMOTIVE FIREIBOX' COMPANY,

wA'r n-cmcULATINe 'lUBE.

-A QORP ORATION OF DELAWARE.

. JA specificatiomofLetters ratent, Patent.ed Oct. 19; 1920. I

Application an February 1c, 1918. SeriaTNo. 217,703.

. To all whom z'tmay concern):

Be it known that I, JOHN L. NICHOLSON, a citizen of the United States,anda resident of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, 5 and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and for\Vate'r-Circulating Tubes, of which the folp articularly pointedout inthe appended lowing is a'spec1'fication: V My invention relates toimprovements in '10 the fire-boxes of the boilersof locomotives and theLlike; and has special reference to improvements in Water-circulating'tubes and ducts for use in such fireboxes. The object of my'inventionis toprovide first an improved Water circulating tube for such uses,and; second, to provide a method and means whereby such tubes may beeasily and securely united to the firebox sheets and made as.durable'and as safe as point in the same or another sheet .ofthefirebox, and which has its ends united, preferably by welds, torespective sheets and also stay-bolted to adjacent parts of the boilershell, whereby; the water-circulating mem .ber becomes a truly integralOr constituent member of the firebox and boiler.

'35 The invention also embraces a water-circulating element as a newarticle of manufacture, separate from the firebox to which fit isfitted. "To those skilled in the art it will be clear 40 that a fireboxmay contain any desired number of these circulating 'tube elements thussafely secured and made permanentparts of the firebox. And, obviously,the presence of such elements adds greatly to the heat ing surface ofthe firebox. They further serve as foundation partsforany refractoryarch which may be equired 'in the firebox.

The cross sectional dimensions of the tubes,

and the thickness of their walls, may be car-- v ried within widerangesstrongly united to thefirebox sheets and are additionally securedby" stay bolts, it is ob vious-that they cannot be pulled outv orseparated fromthe sheets by any of the forces for? as they are f I awhich render ordinary water circulating '55. tubes unsafe andshort-lived. n y invention 2 also comprises various novelvconstructions, relating both to the waten circulating elements and "tothe fire boxes as a whole, including special arches or battles, all ashereinafter described and on reference to the accompanying drawingswhich form part of thisspecification, and 111 which: Figure 1 is atransverse vertical section-of a typical locomotive boiler, disclosingthe firebox tlfereof and several water-circulating elements embodying,and applied in. accordance with, my invention i Fig. 2 is an enlargedsectional detail on the line 2 2 offFig. l;fl-Fig. 3 is'a verticallongitudinal section of a locomotive firebox, showing longitudinal archtubes disposed '(5.

therein in accordance with my invention Fig. 4 is a vertical sectiononthe line H of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is alongitudinal section. of a Woottentype; firebox containing my invention. thereof on the line 6-6 of Fig.5. Figs. 7,

8, 10 and 12, are other longitudinal views. illustrating furtherapplications of my invention. Fi 9,,is a section on the line 99 of Fig..8';-- ig. 11, is a section on the line 1111of Fig. 10 and, Figs. 13,14, and

15, illustrate modified methods of forming stay-bolt flanges lupon thewater-circulating x tubes.

Referring, now to F ig. 1 of thedrawings, the familiar parts of atypicallocomotive boiler and firebox m'ay'beidentified as follows: 2 is theboiler shell wrapper sheet,-

3, is the mud ring ;4, 4, the side sheets of the firebox -5 the cf'bwnsheet of the fire box; 6 the throat sheet at the forwardend of thefirebox ;and, 7 the-fiue'sheet, which" may be,integral with thesheet,-6, and which contains thefiues, 8'. The-edges of the severalsheets are attached to the'mud ring, 3.100 Asis customary a large numberof suitably" A spaced staybolts, 8, join the wrapper sheet and thefirebox sheets to sustain the latter] against the pressure of steam inth'e space,

S. Thenarrow spaces, S',are' usually referredto as the's'ide water legsof the boiler. There is a similar. water-leg adjacent the throat sheet,6.

Fig. 6 is a transverse section 30 -marked 9 and 10,.and in addition Ihave shown openings,'l1 and 12, as though ready to receive a third tube,indicated by dotted lines 13.7 Each tube comprises a body portion,preferably of uniform cross sectionthroughout, and the extreme ends ,ofwhich are flared outwardly; whereby the tube is provided with theintegral end flanges, a and I). These flanges may be of identicalformation-and diameter, though not necessarily so.. In each case thejuncture c, be- Q tWGQII'thG flange and the body of the tube is formedupon a generous curve to avoid an abrupt corner. or angle I preferthatthe flanges shall 'be as thick as the firebox sheets, 4 and 5, and whenthe body of the tube presents a thinner wall I upset the ends of thetube before forming-the flanges a and b. Ordinarily it will be found amvantageous to use a\ thick walled tube, the more easily to provideflange edges of a thickness approximating that of the fire sheets; andas is well known, thebody por- 'tions of the tube if too thickwhenplaced. "in service, will quickly burn down to the thickness whichaccords with the rate of 'thermic transmission" between the firechamber, F, and the moving column of.

water in the circulating tube. K Initially the tubes ar substantiallystraight, and one step in preparing to in-v stallthem in a fireboxconsists in bending. them tospecified shapes according to the positionswhich they are to occupy in the firebox. The length-of the tube (thedis-' tarice between its end flanges a and b) is likewise determined bythe' position to be occupied and by the dimensions of the firebox. Itwill be understood that the bending of the tube may be done while thesame is cold, but before attem'pting' tov form the integral flanges orflared ends, a and 6, those ends should be heated in a forge or furnace.

In bending a tube to fit the firebox, it is best to start the bends atarr appreciable distance back of the flanges, thereby leaving the endportion substaritially perpendicular to the flange in each case. Ifollow this rule, whenever possible, in, order to avoid having to flangethe tube ends upon planes which .are oblique or otherwise irregular tothe normal axes of its end portions.

Though the latter operation is practical it is'more quantity productionof into consideration.

expensive, and hence ob ectionable-when the the Ft'ubes is taken When atube has been prepared and shaped, it is thenp laced'in the firebox withits flanges resting in predetermined positions against the upper andlower sheets to posed sections of theboiler shell.

which it is to be attached. Those sheets are the templet marks, Thus twoopenings,

such as the-openings, 11"and'12, are provided for the reception of thetube; and these openings, obviously, are of substantially the same sizeand shape as the wide'flanges which they are to receive. As a' next stepthe tube is placed in position, with respectiv flanges within the firesheet openings and-substantially flush with theosurfaces of thoseportions of the fire sheets, and in each" case thereafter, the sheet andthe flange are welded edge to edge, as by the familiar oxyacetylenemethod of able electric welding process. Such welds are indicated atpoints, d. Definite marks are used to represent the welds d, but it willbe understood that when the work is finished the welds are barelyperceptible; for by that means the metal tubes are actually unifie withand become integral 'parts of the firebox. sheets. a I l A firstadvantage of this method of forming the water circulating tubes andattach ing them to the firebox walls, arises from the spacing betweenthe weld portion and the bodyof .the. tube whereby the circular 'weld'even though relatively weak, by reason of its distant leveragesisadapted to resist the welding-0r by a suit i twisting and distortingstrains which may or the Warping of the body ends due to expansion 100.

he bending or yielding there- 7 spaced welds as the sole means ofattach; I

ment between the tubes and the firebox sheets. But I do not regard suchanchdrages assuflicient in the case of a locomotive boiler which, as iswell known, carries a high pressure-of steam and is subjected to verysudden'changes of temperature and to many other shocks and strains notincurred in stationary boiler practice. a

Therefore, as a standard measure of safety I initially make the flanges,a, and b, v wide enough to, accommodate the ends of a number of staybolts and place such bolts therein. These liolts, as best-indicated atpoints, e, in Figs. 1 and 2, arequite closely spaced in the flanges ofthe tube. They may be of any desired type; either solid, hollow drflexible and serve to positively andun yieldingly tie the "tube flangesto the op- It will be found that the best practice is to weld the tubeflan holes and before the stay bolts are fastened in place.

gesin place before boring the placing the stay bolts; that is,".

The stay bolts, e, directly sustain orsupport the water-circulatingtubes and also and circulating elements, or tubes.

-When tapered tubes are avaliable, they may be substituted for the tubesof uniform cross-section; being flanged,- welded and stay-bolted in thesame manner. In the case J of a tapered tube, the large end will be edand a freer rise of the steambubbles placed r uppermost, to permit an.advantageous expansion of the water as it is heatgenerated in the tube.In Figs. 3 to 12, inclusive, I have depicte'd numerous exemplary andnovel applications of my invention, and also ,numerous forms of the firearches or baflies, made possible thereby and which I have devisedculiarly appropriate thereto.

Figs. 3 and-4 illustrate my invention as applied to water-circulatingarch tubes, 14, that are arranged longitudinally in the firebox, 15. Byreason of the described manas pener in which the ends of the tubesarefastened or built into the alls of the firebox,

' it becomes possible to make these tubes as tubes, 14.

The force .of this-statement will be appreciated when it isrecalled thathe area of a six-inch tube is four times as large as that of thethree-inch arch tube, which is commonl'yused; hence in making possibleto employ tubes of the large dimensions I have at the same timeprovided-for an enormous amplifi cat'ion of circulation from the lowerto. the upper parts of the boiler, as between the throat, 16, of theboiler and the rear water leg, 17, thereof. There may 'be several ofthese tubes, 14. In fireboxes of medium width it is suflicient to useeither two or three thereof, making them of large size to aflord theactive and copious circulation sought. The refractory arch, 18, iscomposed of bricks which rest upon the;

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate theapplication of my invention to a Woottenboiler, with its combustion-chamber type of firebox, 19.

The chief point to be noted is that the water circulating arch tubes,20, may have. their lower flanges welded to the throat sheet, 21, andtheir upper. flanges to the crown sheet, 22. It is entirely feasible toform the lower end flange in the mannerhere depicted and,

obviously, the welding and stay-bolting of suchirregular flanges is nomore diflicult in large as six to eight inches in diameter.

abowe the crown sheet.

sheet thereof. It is to be noted th'atthis (my preferred practice) hasthe effect of increasing the pitch and heightlof the column ascendingwithin the. tube; and the forcible delivery of the stream upward"through the crown sheet not only facilitates the return flow of thewater toward the front end of the boiler, but also insures the constantwashing and cleaning of the crown sheet of the firebox. Ifthoughtdesirable,

my arch tubes may occupy positions such as indicated by the dotteddines, 20, of Fig. 5.

ig. 7 depicts a firebox, 24, which is equipped with a plurality of myintegrally united and stay-bolted tubes, 25, all of which deliver theircontents upon the top of the cro'wnsheet, 26 The arch, 27 whether of thesolid or perforated type, is very safely lodged upon the tubes, 25. 'Theconstructio shown in Fig. 7 is that which I prefer for the majority oflocomotive" boilers. Be

fore leaving the ,description of Figs 7 I wish to call attention to thevery desirable circulating and heating effects which I secure by theaddition of rear-end circulating tubes, 28, which lead from the lowerpart of the doorf'sheet and deliver the water upon the top of the. crownsheet.

In cases where a very large lncrement of heating area 1s desired, Iequip the firebox 00 in the manner indicated in Figs. 8 and 9;-

e., with a considerable number of large tubes, 29, which may connect thelo'werparts of the waterlegs, S, with the space, S,

My invention comprehends many similar arrangements of these stay-boltedtubes; in, various positions within the firebox; both. for heating andcirculating purposes; and

for the support of arch bricks. Figs. 3 to 9 sufliciently indicatethisfact and I deem it unnecessary to describe the many other ill?rangements of the tubes and arches which my invention makes posslble.However,

there is one further typical arrangement to ,which I will refer. It isillustrated in Figs.

. 10, 11, and 12. In Fig. 10, 30,":50, represent large tubes flanged,welded, and stay-bolted in the manner previously described and whichextend from low points on the side sheets, or from the throat sheet, tothe crown sheet; or to the rear sheet of the firebox, ifthoughtdesirable. To each tube, 30, I coi1 nect one or more riser tubes,31; flanging and welding the slower ends thereof to the and stay-boltingthe upper ends in the crown sheet, in the manner before detailed; I thiscase than in the other.- I regard it as] Large circulating tubes of thischaracter and f top of the tube, 30, and flanging, welding Y pecfiliarlyimportant 7 that my invention arrangement are adequate to the support ofcombustionspace, 34, in 90111; of the arcliy,

-. grate.

and the deep firing s ace beneath that'portion of the arch whic isdirectly above the ./Fig. 12 shows an embodiment of the same genericidea but in a slightly different form,

peculiarly suited to shallow fireboxes. This I employ in connection witha substantially right-angled refractory arch construction, 35, whichafl'ordsmany advantages, includ: ing the well-defined cpn-ibustionspace, 36, adjacent the flue sheet, 37 At the present time acetylenewelding has attained only a qualified acceptance in 1000- motive fireboxpractice, and electric welding has met with even less approval.Nevertheless, I look forward to the time when the welding art 'will havebeen-perfeoted to a point that will make possible the initial welding offlanges to. my water circulating tubes, and which welded flanges mayprove to be almost as effi 'ent as the integral flange's which I haveescribed. With this in view, I have illustratednseveral plans.

upon which the welding of the flanges may be undertaken. Thus, as shownin Fig. 13, it maybe acceptable to first slightly upset the end, 38, ofa water-circulating tube, and then attach the flange, 39, as by a weld,40, leaving an edge, 39, to be welded in the fire sheet. Another methodis shown in Fig. 14, wherein the circulating tube, 41, is shown tobeboth flanged (42) and welded (43') within the main tube flange, 44. Oras shoWnin-Fig. 1 5,'the main flange, 45, may have a, sleeve, 46,serving as a bushing to' which the end of the tube, #7, is welded. Itwill be noted that the main flange maybe curved (as in the case of theflange, 39, in

Fig. 13) but g'eherally it will be found that assen herein shown anddescribed,

it is quite impossible acceptably weld flanges to the tubes andat thesame timesQ maintain both the necessary thinness of metaland thegeherouscurves between the same and the tube, as required to insure a properresilience and a due degree of safety and durability. L,

Various modifications of my invention will readily suggest themselves toone who is skilled in theart, and therefore I do not restrict the same.tothe specific structures fined by the appended claims. fiHaving thusdescribed my claimas Patent except as deipvention, I new and desire tosecure by Lettersi,-

1, A locomotive boiler shell and its box, the latter having metal wallswhich contain openings for a water-circulating element,.in combinationwith a water-circulating element comprising a metal tube ofless diameterthan said openings,- .but having outwardly flaring end flanges which fitsaid openings, the edges of said flanges being welded to the fireboxwalls at, the "edges of respective openings therein, and'laplurality ofstay bolts secured'in each said flange and which are welded.torespective sheets, and" stay-bolts which .in (each case directly theend of the water circulating'elemen't 1to the boiler shell; whereby theduty offsup- In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 9thday of Februar 1918.

- p 1 ZIOHhLL. 'N-ICH LSON.

'portin the {water circulating element is divide between said shellandsaid fire box I -sheets.

. spectlve openings'in the fire box sheets, and

